I got back into beekeeping after a long layoff. Admittedly, back when I first kept bees, I had never heard of the word "nuc" except with a different spelling and more deadly connotation. Back in the game, I'm keying up to have nucs for sale in a year from this coming spring and there are a few rules that expect to work by.
1. In all my business experience, I made a point of never selling anything that I wouldn't buy myself because of the quality. In the yard now, I see weak and strong nucs, am working to make them all strong and recognize that there may be losers that I wouldn't buy myself.
2. A person I respect, have bought nucs and queens from in the past and posts here on Beesource regularly has a policy posted on her website indicating that a customer should demonstrate that they have experience, taken a beekeeping course or has a mentor. I like that policy. There are ample opportunities for aspiring beekeepers here in Maine to learn the basics of providing for the needs of their new charges and one should avail themselves of them before taking charge of living creatures.
3. I aspire to becoming a mentor to some new beeks (and hope I am now to my daughter.) A lot of people have helped me to get started and, 20 something years later, restarted. Nobody expects repayment for their help except to have their knowledge and experience passed on down the path.
4. I expect to become outrageously wealthy and expand my bee yards across America, (or at least across the blue states.) That, of course, has more to do with the Powerball gods than my business plan or bee sense.
5. When it isn't fun anymore, go back to engineering.
Wayne